Doki Doki Lover's Club
by Grievous1
Summary: I hope you enjoy this fanfiction in the works!
1. Chapter 1, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

 **I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, but I'll try to keep it short. I haven't written any kinds of stories in a long time; this being the first in several years, so it will probably be a bit messy until I get back into the flow of things. This story is based around the events of Doki Doki Literature Club, so if you haven't played it, you should. The events that will occur start around the second in-game day, and diverge from the original story from there. For now, that's all. Thanks to Dan Salvato for making the incredible game, and all characters and story elements based around it.**  
 **-**

SOMETHING MORE  
Chapter 1 – Part 1  
The Main Character's POV

I've only been in the club for less than a day, but I already think I'm going to really like my time here. Natsuki seemed really irritated about me, though. I wonder if she expected Sayori to bring in another girl? Regardless, I hope she'll wind up being a little less annoyed by me; she seems really nice, despite her otherwise assertive personality.  
"Whatever you're thinking about must be pretty heavy, huh?"  
I must have completely spaced out, Sayori starts talking to me, but I never noticed her walk up to me. She almost startled me.  
"What's up, Sayori? Sorry, I was spacing out."  
"No big deal, but um..." She tries to think of something to say, "Well... I was getting kind of hungry. Would you like to come with me to get a snack?"  
"No thanks." I know something's up here.  
"Eh? Why not?" Sayori looks at me with dejected eyes.  
"I have my reasons. Let's take a look at your purse, Sayori." I know this is probably a bit much, but I feel like she needs it.

Before long, I have her pouring out the contents of her coin purse to reveal she didn't have any money. Sayori then tries to get Yuri to lend her money.  
"P-please, don't get me involved..." Yuri tries to bury herself back into her book. "B-besides you should only really buy what you can responsibly afford. And frankly after trying to do something mischievous like that, your suffering is fair enough retribution." After finishing her thought, Yuri realizes what she said. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't m-mean that!" I'm almost offended for Sayori. Yuri started getting even more red. Both me and Yuri are caught off-guard when Sayori starts to laugh.  
"I really like it when you speak your mind, Yuri! It doesn't happen much, but when it's a fun side of you!"  
"That's... There's no possible way you could think that, Sayori."  
"You were right, though. I did something bad, now I have to accept the revelation."  
"R-retribution.." Yuri tries to correct Sayori.  
"That!"  
"S-still, coming from you, Sayori. I guess there's a little devil in us all, though. Isn't there?" Yuri states as Sayori giggles again.  
"Don't let her fool you," I interject "Sayori knows exactly what she's doing. After all, she told you all she was bringing me to the club, even before she told _me_ I was coming to the club."  
"But!" Sayori said, clearly flustered. "You wouldn't have even come if it wasn't for the cupcakes, so I had to trick Natsuki into making them!" It's like she almost _wants_ us to think she's a criminal genius or something. I go to add more, but out of nowhere, something hits Sayori in the face.  
"Sayori! Are you okay? What was that?" I look down to see a giant cookie wrapped in plastic land on the desk.  
"I-is that?... A cookie!" Sayori gets up and hugs the cookie. "It's a miracle! It's because I paid my restitution!"  
"Retribution." This time, it's me correcting Sayori.  
"Actually, that one almost worked." Yuri adds just as Natsuki comes into the classroom laughing to herself.  
"I was just gonna give it to you," Natsuki finally speaks in-between her laughing, "But after you blabbed about the cupcakes, I thought it would totally be worth seeing your reaction."  
"Natsuki!" Both Yuri and I think Sayori is about to get upset with Natsuki for doing that, "That's!.. So nice of you! Thank you so much!" She once again, hugs the cookie before tearing off the plastic and stuffing it in her mouth.  
"Sheesh, slow down, Sayori, or you'll wind up-" Just as I was about to say it.  
"Ouch!" She clasps her hand around her mouth, "I bit my tongue.." After hearing that, Natsuki again starts laughing.  
"Lot of effort for just one cookie, huh?" Natsuki starts to unwrap her own cookie.  
"That's.. a really nice cookie, Natsuki." I swear I can practically see her drooling over Natsuki's cookie.  
"Don't even think about it." She knows exactly what Sayori was about to ask.  
"I wasn't going to ask anything! I'm just really happy you shared this one with me!" Sayori gets out of her seat and gives Natsuki a hug.  
"Jeez, you don't need to get like this, it's just a stupid cookie..." Natsuki goes to push Sayori off her back, and I can see the smirk on Sayori's face as she leans over and takes a bite out of Natsuki's cookie, laughs, then runs off.  
"Thank you Natsuki!" Sayori says before she runs away to safety.  
"D-did she seriously just?" Natsuki tries to figure out what just happened. "That little!..." I restrain myself from retorting with 'look who's talking, Natsuki.' because I know that probably won't end well for me. Before much longer, Monika walks in.  
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry guys!" It didn't actually occur to me that she wasn't here until just now. "I was in study hall last period and totally lost track of time."  
"Actually, I was just thinking about where you were at." I say to her as she puts her bag on one of the desks, almost spilling what looks like a bunch of sheet music on the floor.  
"I've just been really busy today, I'm so sorry I'm late!"  
"Hey, don't worry about it. We're all late sometimes." I try to make her feel a little better for being late.  
"I'm glad you think that, Shin. That was nice of you to say." She gives me a large, warm smile before standing in the front of the room. "Alright everyone, now that we're all here, let's get to sharing our poems!" I'm almost worried about something like yesterday happening again, but after a few minutes, everyone has shared their poems, and everything goes smoothly.  
"Shin! I wanted to talk to you in a few minutes. Would you mind?" Monika asks me just after I finish talking to Sayori about her poem.  
"Of course not."

As everyone is getting their things together about to leave, Monika comes up to me.  
"Hey, I was actually needing help setting up some things for the festival on Monday, would you and Sayori mind giving me a little help?"  
"I'm fine with that, but actually, let me go get Sayori so we can talk about when-" I look around the room, and realize that Sayori has already left.  
"What is it?" Monika asks me, "Is something wrong?"  
"No, no, it's just that Sayori's already left. Usually she'd at least say something before she left..." I've been feeling worried about Sayori recently. Ever since I joined the club yesterday, I've been feeling strange myself. Headaches, really weird dreams, and I've been waking up a lot in the middle of the night. I'm worried Sayori may be dealing with something similar.  
"Don't worry too much, I've been dea-" Monika stops herself. "I mean... I'm sure she's fine, it's good that you're worried about her, though!"  
"What were you going to say?" I doubt she's going to tell me, but I thought it would be worth asking.  
"It's nothing, don't worry about it right now." She says with a worried expression, "I'll tell you about it later."  
"O-okay?.." I know at this point something's up. I don't know what it is, I just know it's something; and it's making me very uneasy. "Anyways... How does Saturday sound?"  
"Saturday sounds fine! If Sayori can't make it, that's fine."  
"W-wait... Weren't _you_ the one that suggested that Sayori helped us?"  
"Alright," Monika seems to be completely ignoring what I just said. "I'll see you Saturday, then!"  
"Hold on a second!" I try to chase after her, but she just ignores me, and walks out of the classroom. I try to follow her, but after the door closes, I look around the halls, and she's nowhere to be seen. I'm starting to get a knot in my stomach after that.

After I get home, I decide to check on Sayori. I get out of my school uniform, and call her. She doesn't answer. I then text her, telling her that I'm coming over; we used to do that a lot when we were younger, so I didn't think much of it. I walk out of the house, then I make my way to Sayori's door. I knock, and then enter. She's nowhere in the living room. I get a horrible sense of Déjà vu, then I suddenly feel like throwing up. I rush up to Sayori's room, and knock on the door.  
"S-Sayori?..." I nervously call through the door. I don't hear anything. "Sayori, I'm worried about you. I'll give you a minute just in case you're not decent." After about a minute passes, I once again knock on the door. "Sayori, I'm coming in."

I gently open the door.

She's not in here?

Out of nowhere, I hear the door close on the first floor. I get nervous, grab the wooden bat that I see in Sayori's closet, and start to slowly make my way to where I can see into the living room.

I relax once I realize it's just Sayori coming home; but I then start getting nervous again once I realize she's going to find me in her house by myself. I hope she doesn't think I'm trying to be creepy by doing this.  
"There you are, Sayori!" I exclaim to her; but in doing so, I scare her and make scream, then she stumbles to the floor.  
"Shin!" Sayori starts to get back on her feet. "You really scared me! Don't ever do that again! Why were you in my house?"  
"I-I'm sorry, Sayori. I thought you were home, and after you left without saying anything yesterday, I got really worried about you. So, I came to check on you."  
"O-Oh... I see." Sayori pulls out her phone and looks at it for a minute. "Oh, yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't notice you texted me."  
"Don't be, I should be the sorry one here. I shouldn't have barged into your home like I did."  
"It's fine." Sayori starts to hide a bag she's been carrying behind her back. "I just... Didn't really feel good, so I just came home." I can tell she's lying about something.  
"What's in the bag, Sayori?" She starts to blush a little bit.  
"I-it's nothing! I just went... To get a few groceries, t-that's all."  
"What did you get?"  
"Just som-" Sayori was mid-sentence, when all of a sudden, someone knocks on the door.  
I quietly whisper to her "Were you expecting someone?"  
"...No." Sayori gets visibly nervous, and I'm sure that I am too.  
I reach for the bat that I had put down, and slowly make my way to the door. I look out the peephole. I relax and turn to Sayori again.  
"It's just Monika."

-

 **That's it for now, I know a lot of this was recycled from the base game, and I feel lazy for doing that, but, I just needed somewhere to start; and I figured that was a pretty good place for it. I'm planning on things picking up a lot more in the next segment, so I hope this wasn't a bad opening piece. Feedback is absolutely welcome, so long as you keep it civil and don't go around saying "THIS SUCKS, DO BETTER."**


	2. Chapter 1, Part 2

Chapter 1, Part 2

CHANGE OF PACE

"Monika? I thought you weren't supposed to be here until Saturday." I quizzically glance at Sayori before closing the door behind Monika.  
"Actually, after what you said before you left today, I got worried about Sayori too." Monika walks over to Sayori's couch, and takes a seat.  
"I'm fine, you two. Let me go put this stuff in my room, then we can talk about whatever you needed to, Monika." Sayori begins to make her way up the stairs to her room.  
"Monika," I whisper to her, "Something isn't right here, Sayori said she got groceries, but why is she putting them in her room?"  
"Just because she said she got groceries, doesn't mean it specifically has to be food." Monika leans in next to me. "But I think you're right, though. She's been acting really strange these past few weeks. I'm sure you've noticed too."  
"When a friend you've known for years starts acting differently, yeah, you notice it." Monika returns back to her seat as we both hear Sayori's bedroom door shut.  
"So, Monika, what was it you were needing to talk about?" Sayori takes a seat.  
"Well, aside from worrying about you, I was wanting to talk about the festival preparations." Monika pulls out a stack of papers from her bag. "I figured we could make a few fliers, but since Shin is here, it will go a lot faster!" She says with a bright smile on her face.  
"Wait," Sayori holds a hand up to Monika. "Shouldn't we talk to Yuri and Natsuki about this before we decide on anything?"  
"Oh, you're right, I'm sorry, I tho-" Monika catches herself. "I um.. I guess I didn't think about that."  
"Yeah, we should talk to them about it tomorrow." I try to ignore what Monika did, but I can't help but get a nervous feeling just thinking about it.  
"Well, in that case," Monika starts to put the papers back in her bag, and gets ready to leave. "I'm sorry to have bothered you two." She begins to walk to the door.  
"Wait, Monika." I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her. "I was actually needing you to help me with a few things, would you mind coming back to my house for a little while?"  
"Oh, sure, what did you need help with?" I can see she almost starts to smile after I said that.  
"I needed help with, uh..." I try to find an excuse. "I need help figuring out some things about poetry, actually." I know it was a poor excuse, but I just needed Sayori to believe it.  
"Of course!" Monika turns to Sayori. "I hope you don't mind me stealing him, Sayori!" She says jokingly, but I can see something about that upset her.  
"Oh... Of course not, Monika." Sayori puts her hands behind her back. "Just make sure you keep both of your hands to yourselves!" Sayori tries to force herself to laugh and smile.  
"You don't have to worry about that, Sayori." Monika goes to give Sayori a hug. "Trust me." Both Monika and Sayori smile after they release each other.  
"Anyways, I'm just glad you're okay, Sayori." I go to give Sayori a hug myself. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
"Bye guys!" Sayori waves as we walk to the door. "Thanks for visiting!"  
After the short walk back to my house, Monika and I walk in.  
"Shin, are you completely oblivious or something?" Monika stops after closing the door, and looks at me with an irritated expression.  
"Wh... what?" I stand in the kitchen doorway, confused. "What are you talking about, Monika?"  
"You seriously don't realize what's going on, do you?" She puts her hands on her hips. "Let me show you something."  
Monika pulls a pen and paper out of her bag, and begins to write on it. After a while, she's finished, and holds the paper against her chest.  
"You might want to get a trash can before you read this." I still have no idea what's going on, but I do as Monika says, and get a trashcan from the kitchen.  
"Why do I need-" Monika stops me, and shows me the paper.

Everything starts getting fuzzy, my heart starts racing, my head pounding in pain. I drop to my knees, crying and screaming in pain. I lean over the trashcan and throw up several times. I start seeing flashes of Sayori, dead, hanging from her ceiling. Yuri with stab wounds all over her body. I can't make sense of any of it, but everything I see feels like it's already happened, but it can't have happened. I just saw Sayori minutes ago, and today,Yuri was at the clubroom, completely healthy. Then, I succumb to the pain, and I pass out on the floor.

"I'm really scared..." I hear a voice, but I still can't see anything.  
"What are you scared of, Sayori?"  
Did... did I just hear... _myself?_ No, that can't be possible. I haven't said anything yet.  
"I'm scared that... that I might like you more than you like me..."  
What? I have no idea what the hell is going on. I can't make any sense of it. I feel like this has happened before, but I know that can't be possible.  
"Sayori?..." I hear myself again.  
"It's true, isn't it?" I finally start to see an image fading in, Sayori and I are standing outside my house. She's in tears. "I was weak and started to like you too much... I did this to myself... Shin..."  
This feels... wrong. I can see myself, but... I'm not me?...  
"I like you so much that I want to die!" I see Sayori start to cry as she says that. "That's how I feel!" I see her trying to find words in between her sobs. "And... and..."  
"That's enough, Sayori." I see myself grab Sayori on the shoulders. "I don't want you to hurt anymore." My hands slide down from her shoulders to her own hands.  
"Shi.. Shin?..." Sayori looks up to me... whoever that person is... and looks him in the eyes.  
"Sayori..." I can see the words come out of my mouth, but I can't hear anything anymore. I see us in a tight embrace before everything starts fading again.  
No.

 **NO!**

I wake up, and the sun has gone down. Monika is sitting on the couch, playing on her phone.  
"Oh, finally decided to come back to the land of the living, have we?" She sees me open my eyes. I can't move. Everything feels numb. I can't form any words.  
"Don't worry, you'll be back to normal within the hour." Monika puts her phone away, and goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water. "You'll want to drink a lot of water, you lost a lot of fluids throwing up as much as you did. Don't want you getting dehydrated, now do we?" She giggles. How could she be laughing at a time like this? What the hell did she do to me? What was on that paper that did that to me? I still can't make sense of anything I saw. I feel like I'm going to throw up again, but I can't. Monika kneels down next to me. I don't think she knows, or cares, but I can almost see up her skirt. I almost feel embarrassed, as it's the last thing I see before I black out again.


	3. Chapter 1, Part 3

Chapter 1, Part 3 

I THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW

I wake up in my bed, my head is still pounding. I open my eyes, and look around; finally able to move. Monika is asleep in my desk chair. I look at the clock.

I've been asleep almost all day.

I lean over my bed to find a trashcan; I feel like I'm going to throw up again. Monika hears me rustle the can, and wakes up.  
"Sleep well?" She opens her eyes, and offers me a glass of water. "You sure slept for a while."  
"What... the hell... did you do to me?" I'm trying to catch my breath; my heart still won't stop racing.  
"I showed you what could have happened." She sets the glass of water on my bedside table, and returns to her chair. "Or, rather, what still may happen."  
"What are you talking about?" I reach for the glass of water, my mouth is incredibly dry. Did I sleep with my mouth open?  
"I'm talking about..." Monika begins to explain. "Look, I think you should know; things are a lot different than what you think they are. I'm not going to get into details, because I don't really think you'll understand. Not yet, at least."  
"Just... get to the point, Monika." I really don't feel like being toyed with. I just want this feeling to go away.  
"Pushy." She laughs a little to herself. "Just relax for a while, you should feel better if you just take it easy." I recall what I saw in my dream, and I almost burst into tears.  
"What.. what did I see? Why did..." I can't even finish my sentence before I finally break down and cry.  
"I'm sorry you saw that. I really am." Monika rolls the chair next to my bed, and rests a hand on my shoulder. "But, I felt like it was the only way for me to really show you the gravity of what you're about to go through. But, the good thing is; you _can_ stop it from happening. I won't help you, do everything, but I will tell you that right now, everyone in the club needs your help with something." She starts running her hand through my hair. I admit, it feels both really weird, but also... nice.  
"So... everything that I saw... could still happen?" I look up at Monika.  
"I'm afraid so." Monika takes the hand she was using in my hair and puts it on my cheek. "But, if you do everything right, it won't happen that way." She takes her hand back, and puts the chair back at my desk. "I really wish I could help more, but... I can't. Something's changed. You have to do this by yourself."  
"Monika... please.. tell me what I have to do." I try to speak to her, but she just ignores me and packs up her things. I can tell she's upset by this too, I saw a tear run down her cheek as she turned to the door.  
"Oh, and one more thing;" Monika stops in the doorway, and turns to me. "Don't tell anyone what you saw in those dreams. I know you may be tempted to, but it will only cause more problems." She waves and smiles to me as she leaves. "I hope you get to feeling better before tomorrow. It's a big day."  
Monika closes the door behind her, and I'm alone with my thoughts.

I have no idea what to do right now.

After thinking in bed for a while, I return to sleep, and get some rest. If what I saw and what Monika told me is true... I'll need all the energy I can get.

 **-  
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Doki Doki Lover's Club! I had planned on making this more relationship based, but I thought it would be best to save that for a bit later, and instead focused on a lead-up to the more major story events to unfold in later chapters. I know this part was a bit short, but it was an important plot part of the story. I hope you all look forward to Chapter 2!**


	4. Chapter 2, Part 1

Chapter 2, Part 1  
RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Given everything that happened yesterday, I feel surprisingly good. I still have a bit of a headache, so I take some painkillers for it. I fix myself some breakfast, take a shower, and get ready to visit Sayori. After I walk down the street and get to Sayori's house, I stop before I knock; I hear something inside.

I hear Sayori crying.

I knock on the door. "Sayori? Are you alright?"  
"Oh, um..." I hear her sniffling and blow her nose. "Yeah, everything's alright. One second." After a few seconds, I hear the locks turning, and then Sayori opens the door. I know she's not alright; I can see the redness in her eyes and face from crying. Sayori looks me in the eyes, shakes her head, and begins to cry again as she suddenly gives me a tight hug. It takes me a second to realize what happened, but I then hug her back. I rub my hand on her back.  
"It's alright Sayori," I whisper in her ear "I'm here for you."  
"I.. I want to go in.. But I want to stay here... Just for a bit longer" Sayori tries to find time to speak in between her sobs, and her grip on me tightens.  
"Whatever you need." I still can't understand what's wrong; but all that I care is that Sayori knows that I'm here for her. After Sayori lets go of me, we go inside and sit on the couch next to each other. Sayori leans in to me, and rests in my lap. She's still crying, but she's calmed down. We stay like this for about a half hour before Sayori finally takes a deep breath, and stops crying. She sits back up, and looks me in the eyes again; tears still on her cheeks.  
"Shin... I'm..." Sayori pauses. "I'm really glad you came over... Because.." She stops completely this time. I rest my hand on her shoulder.  
"Hey, it's okay, take your time Sayori, I'm listening."  
"The truth is..." Sayori takes another deep breath, and closes her eyes. "I've been really, really sad for the past couple of weeks. And... I was at the point where I just wanted it to stop. I just wanted to stop feeling this way.. I just want to stop feeling at all!" Sayori starts to cry again; but I pull her in to a hug once more. I close my eyes; and I remember what I saw during my visions.

I'm not letting that happen.

Sayori pulls back from our hug.  
"I'm going to go get some more tissues.." She gets up, and walks off to the bathroom. I pull out my phone. I text Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika to let them know what's going on. Natsuki and Yuri are the only ones to reply, however. I'm not surprised, though, after what happened between Monika and I. I know I probably should have asked Sayori, but I just acted on instinct. I only felt like she needed to know she was cared about. Sayori comes back with a box of tissues, and just before she sits back down, there's a knock on the door. It's probably Natsuki; since she only lives just down the block. She probably ran here. Sayori walks over to the door, and opens it. Before Sayori even has time to greet her, Natsuki gives Sayori a big, sudden hug. Sayori looks at me, and smiles with tears in her eyes.  
"Shin told us." Natsuki lets go of Sayori, and lets herself in. "As soon I saw the text, I ran over here as fast as I could." I can tell she did run, she was breathing pretty heavily.

After Natsuki, Sayori and I talk for a while, Yuri finally knocks on the door. I get up to let her in this time.  
"Shin, I'm so glad you told us." Yuri gives me a brief- albeit warm- hug. "I don't know what we would have done if something happened to Sayori."  
"I don't know what I would have done either." I notion Yuri to come in and sit on the couch with the rest of us. "I'm just... Glad we caught it before..." I nod to myself. "No. I don't even want to think about it."  
"I understand." Yuri walks past me as I close the door behind her.  
"I was actually hoping to make a phonecall, would you mind if I stepped out for a minute to take care of it?" I reach into my pocket for my phone.  
"Of course not." Yuri smiles and goes to join Sayori and Natsuki. I walk outside, and call Sayori's parents to let them know about everything that's going on as well. They tell me they'll arrange to come get her and take her to the emergency room on Tuesday. I know Sayori won't like it, but I just can't live with the guilt if something happened to her and I didn't do anything to even try to stop it. I hang up the phone, and poke my head inside.  
"Yuri, Natsuki, I need to talk to you for a minute." I notion them to come outside with me. They get up, and join me. "I called Sayori's parents, and they said that they're taking her to the hospital Tuesday to figure out something to resolve this. But..." I let out a sigh. "I don't feel comfortable leaving her by herself. Not in this state. I hate to ask this of you, but... Could you guys stay over here with her until then?"  
"I have an idea!" Natsuki blurts out, and grabs both Yuri and I's attention.

We return inside, all beaming at Sayori.  
"What... What did you guys talk about?" Sayori looks at us, realizing something's going on.  
" **SLEEPOVER!** " Natsuki yells out, and Sayori lights up.


	5. Chapter 2, Part 2

Chapter 2, Part 2  
THE SLEEPOVER, PART 1  
"A.. Sleepover!? Natsuki, would your dad even let you do that!?" Sayori asks.  
"I'm sure I can manage something... Don't worry about it, dummy!" Natsuki replies.  
"Yuri, you'd even agree to this?"  
"O-of course. Anything for a friend."  
"Guys! Thank you so much!" Sayori says, with tears forming in her eyes.  
"I'll leave you guys to plan this all out. I'll head home." I say to the girls.  
"What are you talking about, dummy? You're staying too." Natsuki tells me.  
"I... am?..." I question her.  
I just got invited- no- told I'm staying at an all-girl's sleepover... Usually, I'm told to leave them, not stay.  
"I mean... If you guys are fine with that, then I guess I can stay."  
"Would you excuse us for a moment, Shin?" Yuri asks me.  
"Of course." I reply to her, and leave the room.  
After about 5 minutes of discussion, they call for me to come back in the room.  
"Natsuki got a bit ahead of herself by inviting you without the rest of us consenting."  
"Oh, so I'm not staying then?"  
"N-no, you are... We decided that it would be nice to have you stay with us."  
"I see. In that case, I'll go get some stuff from my house. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
"We should probably do that too, can't sleep in this." Natsuki says, pointing at her skirt.  
"We'll meet back here then!" Sayori says, stating the obvious. I'm sure everyone wanted to say something, but we all kept quiet.  
I make the short walk back to my house, and grab a change of clothes. Should I change clothes here though? I'm not sure it would be entirely appropriate to change clothes in a girl's house...  
"This is completely new to me, what do I do?..." I murmur to myself.  
I'll just change clothes here, I don't want to risk an awkward situation.

After I change clothes and grab my pillows and blanket, I head over to Sayori's house, where Sayori is alone. I didn't expect the others to be back yet, so I knock and head inside.  
"Sayori, I'm back." I say as I enter.  
"Don't look upstairs, I'm still changing!" I hear Sayori yell from her room.  
"I'll just get my stuff setup in the living room then!" I yell back to her.  
I get my blanket rolled out on the floor, and move the furniture out of the way. I put the pillows down too, and as I lay back, I hear a door close.  
"What do you think?"  
I open my eyes, and turn to Sayori. I immediately cover up my eyes.  
" **SAYORI! GO PUT ON SOME ACTUAL CLOTHES!** " I scream at her, trying to keep my eyes averted.

She's wearing lingerie.

"What? Don't you like it, Shin?"  
"I-! N-!"  
I don't even know what to say. I'm struggling to even deny what she's asking.  
"Go put on some clothes, damnit! The others will be here soon!"  
"Hehehe~" Sayori turns and goes back up the stairs, I assume- and hope- to change into some actual sleepwear.  
While Sayori is up in her room, I hear a knock on the door.  
"I'm back, dummies!" I immediately recognize Natsuki's voice. I get up to go let her in.  
"Welcome back to the party!" I open the door and gesture her inside.  
"W-wait for me!" I see Yuri running in her slippers. I can already see what's about to happen.  
"Oh no..." It seems Natsuki even realizes it, too.

Then it happens.

Yuri trips on one of her slippers, and almost faceplants on the sidewalk. I rush over to help her up.  
"Yuri, are you alright?" I help her up.  
"Y-yes, I'm f-fine..."  
I can hear Natsuki laughing in the doorway.  
"Natsuki, you could help you know."  
"No I couldn't have." Natsuki holds a straight face while replying to me.  
"Why not?" I ask her.  
"Because it was too funny!" She bursts out laughing again.  
"Come on, Yuri, let's get you inside, make sure you're not scraped."  
"R-really, I'm fine. Thank you, t-though."  
We get inside, and get everyone's blankets set out on the floor. Sayori came out of her room, finally dressed in proper clothes. I choose not to tell the others about her little "adventure in new clothing." I guess that must be what she bought the other day. Yuri pops a disc into the DVD player, and the night begins.


	6. Chapter 2, Part 3

Chapter 2, Part 3  
THE SLEEPOVER, PART 2

After we've watched a couple of movies of Yuri and Sayori's suggestion, Natsuki pipes up.  
"Let's play a game."  
"What kind of game?" Sayori asks.  
"Hmm... Truth or Dare?" I suggest.  
"That sounds fun!" Natsuki agrees with me.  
"Uuu... I don't know... I'm n-not a very 'daring' person..." Yuri worryingly adds.  
"Let's play anyways! Ehehe~" Sayori says.  
"I feel like this is going to go very poorly..." Yuri mumbles.  
"What was that, Yuri?" Natsuki asks Yuri to clarify.  
"N-nothing!"  
"Who goes first?" I ask.  
"How about you, Shin?"  
"Uh, sure, Sayori."  
Let's see here...  
"Natsuki. Truth or Dare?"  
"Let's go dare!"  
"I dare you to... Stuff an ice cube down your shirt."  
"Front or back?" She asks with a smug look on her face.  
"Darer's choice."  
She gets up and goes to the kitchen, returning shortly after with an ice cube in hand.  
"Well, get on with it!" I jokingly exclaim.  
She pulls open the front of her shirt, and stuffs the cube in her shirt. She puts her hands on her hips, and smiles triumphantly.  
"I'm impressed." I say.  
She blushes, as the front of her shirt begins to get wet.  
"Next. Sayori?"  
"Yuri! Truth or dare?"  
"T-truth."  
"Is it true that you've kissed a girl before?"  
"That's-!" She begins to argue, but then Natsuki interrupts her.  
"Come on, I just shoved an ice cube down my bra, you can answer a tiny little question!"  
"I... Uuu..." She pauses.  
"Y-yes, it's true..."  
"Ooooh~! Tell us the story!" Sayori says.  
"M-maybe some other time..."  
"Aw."  
"Next?"  
"I-I would like to go next."  
"Go on, then." Sayori says.  
"Natsuki. Truth or dare?"  
"Me again?!" Natsuki says, clearly a little upset by what seems to be like singling her out. "Fine, dare!"  
"I dare you.. to take your shirt off."  
"Take-?!" She exclaims, her face turning red. "I would totally do that... but Shin's here, and he's a pervert! I don't want to let him see me with my shirt off!"  
"Now now Natsuki," Sayori interjects. "You said dare, so you have to do it!"  
"F-f-fine!"  
Natsuki stands up and takes off her slightly wettened shirt, leaving her in her bra.  
Sayori whistles. "Hot!" She says.  
"Sayori, your turn."  
"Hm... Natsuki! Truth or dare?"  
"Oh come on!" She says, getting clearly angry at this point. "Dare, let's get this over already."  
"I dare you to kiss Yuri!"  
"Fine, that's nothing!"  
Natsuki gets up, goes over to Yuri, and kisses her straight on the lips. The kiss lasts for a couple of seconds before Natsuki leans out of the kiss, and takes a deep breath. "Delicious!"  
"I-... D-..." Yuri is speechless.  
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO USE TONGUE!?" Yuri screams. "I-I'm s-sorry, I-I didn't m-mean to sc-scream!"  
I can only stare speechlessly at Natsuki.  
"Uh... Who's uh... Who's next?" I ask  
"Me! I deserve a break from all these dares." Natsuki exclaims. "Shin!"  
Oh no.  
"Truth or dare?"  
"Uh... Truth?"  
"I'll go easy on you, _this time_." She leans in towards me.  
"Is it true that you have a crush on one of the three of us here?"  
Oh. No.  
"I.. Uh..."  
Do I?... If I do, who... who is it on?


	7. Chapter 2, Part 4

CHAPTER 2, PART 4

THE CONFESSION

"Well? Spit it out!" Natsuki exclaims.  
"I uh..."  
I mean, I don't really know any of the girls here other than Sayori very well, and I don't have a crush on her... at least... I don't think I do?  
"N-no" I reluctantly reply.  
"Oh come on, that's BS!" She says.  
"It's the truth!..."

"I think..." I mumble.  
"You _think_?" Sayori says.  
"H-hey, who's n-next?" Yuri tries to interject.  
"No no, let him finish." Natsuki says.  
"There's nothing left to finish..."  
"Fine, whatever. Yuri, you're next." Sayori says.  
"I-I think that's e-enough of that for tonight, i-it's getting late, we should p-probably get to bed..."  
"I think you're right, Yuri. It's..." I look at the clock. "Whoa! Almost two AM. Let's get some sleep, we have stuff to do tomorrow."  
"Yeah, you're right, Shin."  
With that, everyone begins settling down for bed. After about an hour, Sayori comes up next to me in my sleep, and whispers to me.  
"Come up to my room, I want to talk." She says, and walks off towards the stairs. I'm still half-asleep, but I'm aware enough to understand what she said. After laying there to wake up for about five minutes, I get up quietly, and make my way to Sayori's room.  
"Close the door behind you." I hear her whisper. I do as she says, and shut the door.  
"What's up, Sayori?"  
"I just got off the phone with my mom..."  
"Did something happen?"  
"Yeah... My dad..." She begins to say. "My dad is in the hospital. He had a heart attack."  
"Oh my god, Sayori, I'm so sorry to hear that."  
"Don't be sorry, Shin, he'll be fine. It's just..."  
"What?" I ask.  
"I feel like I put him under so much stress with my depression that _I_ caused it..."  
"That's not true. You can't blame your-" She interrupts me.  
"I don't care whether I actually did or not! Why can't you just take the hint that I want you to be here with me?!" She says, then immediately covers her mouth.  
"Sayori..." I reach for her shoulder, and she runs off. I chase after her, running through the living room, waking Yuri and Natsuki.  
"What's going on?!" Natsuki blurts out.  
"No time to explain right now!" I brush off her question and continue after Sayori.  
I burst through the front door, and see Sayori crying on the sidewalk. I walk up behind her and gently put my hand on her shoulder. This time, she stays where she is.  
"I'm scared, Shin..."  
"What are you scared of, Sayori?"  
"I'm scared that... that I might like you more than you like me..."  
"Sayori?..."  
Is.. she saying what I heard in that dream? Did Monika show me the _future_? No... that can't be right...  
"I.."  
"I like you so much that-"  
"Sayori, that's enough. I have something I need to tell you too."  
She looks at me with a quizzical glance.  
"I lied."  
"Wh-.. what?.."  
"I lied. When Natsuki asked me if I had a crush on one of you three, I lied."  
"What are you saying, Shin?"  
"I'm saying I like you too, Sayori."  
Sayori jumps up, and embraces me in a warm hug.  
"I..." She begins to speak.  
"I love you, Shin!" She finally says and bursts into tears.  
"I.. I love you too, Sayori."  
So this is what it feels like... to be in love...


	8. Chapter 2, Part 5

CHAPTER 2, PART 5

AM I GONNA GIVE YOU UP?

"We missed you so much!" Natsuki lets go of Sayori.  
It's been almost three and a half weeks since Sayori left for the hospital. She stayed to be with her father, and have her medication adjusted as needed by her doctors. I'm sure it will take some time for her to get used to being back at school with her new medication, but I'm glad she's getting the help she's needed. I couldn't bear to watch her suffer the way she was anymore. Granted, I only knew she was suffering for a day and a half beforehand, but I still couldn't stand to see her that way.  
"Welcome back, Sayori!" I say to her, then wrap her in a big, warm hug.  
"I knew you guys would miss me, but not _this_ much!" She hugs me back. "I missed you guys too, though!"  
"Here, let me get your bags for you." I let go of her and go to open the trunk of the cab... but...

There's no bags in here?...

"I was uh... actually about to tell you..." Sayori turns to me, her smile completely gone from her face.  
"Tell us.. what?.."  
"I'm..." She struggles to find the words. "I'm... not staying here, in town anymore... not for quite a while, at least."  
"Wh-... What?..."  
"Wh-while I was in the hospital..." She takes a deep breath in. "I... tried to commit... suicide..." She says, almost whispering the words to me. My heart sinks into my stomach as I'm trying to wrap my head around the words I've just heard.  
She... tried to _kill herself?_ Why? Why would she do that?!  
"The doctors told me it'd be best if I were to move back home for a while, you know.. keep me from trying that again..."  
So... she's on suicide watch now?... What...  
"Sayori.. what does this mean... for our relationship?" I take her hand, and wrap it in mine. Tears start to well up inside both myself and Sayori.  
"It means..." Her hand slips out of my grip. "It means this is goodbye, Shin..." A tear drips down her face.  
All of this is just.. hitting me so goddamn hard, and all at once.  
"I just... came here to pack my stuff... and say goodbye..."  
It's almost on that cue, that soft thunder breaks the sad silence between us.  
"D-do you need help packing?" I ask, reluctantly.  
"I think I can handle it on my own. Thank you, though."  
I think I'm gonna go back to my place. Let me know when you're leaving?"  
"Y-yeah."


	9. Chapter 2, Part 6 -CHAPTER FINALE-

CHAPTER 2, PART 6

RUSH

I lay back on my bed, the whirling thoughts in my head refusing to settle.  
"Sayori's leaving..." I murmer. "Not least of which, she's leaving _me..._ "  
I look out my window to see Sayori waving goodbye to the taxi cab. Is she not leaving today? I guess if she's not, that's a good thing. It gives me some time to figure out what the hell is going on...  
Sayori tried to kill herself... She's leaving for who knows _how_ long...  
Why? What caused all of this so suddenly? I ask myself dozens of questions before I realize I'm asleep.

I look around me. I'm in pitch black darkness.  
 _"Get up_..." I hear a voice whisper to me. " _She doesn't want to leave you, can't you tell?_ "  
"I know! I don't want her to leave either.. but she doesn't have a choice!" I yell back at the voice.  
" _And what makes you so sure of this?_ "  
"I just... I know! This... is for the best..."  
" _Everyone has a choice, Shin. No matter the situation,_ _ **everyone**_ _has a choice. Get up. Make yours._ "  
I see a memory... A memory of...

The night Sayori and I confessed to each other. It lasts for a brief moment, and I return to the darkness.

The darkness gives way to light. I'm awake. I look at my clock.  
"Oh, Sayori's leaving..."  
I hear a trunk door slam shut.  
"No." I say to myself  
The engine starts up.  
" _No._ "  
I hear voices...  
"Bye, Sayori!" I hear Natsuki yell.  
" **NO**!" I yell. I clamber to my feet, and haphazardly slip my shoes on, and bolt out the door. I look out in front of Sayori's house.  
The taxi's already leaving. I run as fast as I can to catch it. It's about 100 meters in front of me. I guess all that time in the track team is really paying off now. Every time it stops, I gain about 5 meters. We reach the edge of town, and I'm about 20 meters behind it. Once it leaves the city limits, the speed limit goes up, and there's no way I'll catch it.  
It's now, or never.  
I remember a poem we read during the festival, and re-read it out to myself to give myself the last bit of motivation I need.

Do not go gentle into that good night,  
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;  
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,  
Because their words had forked no lightning they  
Do not go gentle into that good night.  
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright  
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,  
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,  
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,  
Do not go gentle into that good night.  
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight  
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,  
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.  
And you, my father, there on the sad height,  
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.  
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Suddenly, the cab stops.  
The door opens, and Sayori steps out, crying.  
" **SAYORI**!" I cry out to her.  
" **SHIN**!" She yells back to me.  
We run to each other, and stop about a meter apart. Tears are streaming down her face. I don't realize it, but tears are running down my face as well. We move to each other, and embrace each other.  
"I don't want you to go, Sayori..." I whisper in her ear, running my hand through her hair.  
"I don't want to go either, Shin, but what choice do I have?" She backs away from me slightly.  
"You can..." I pause "You can stay here, with me, with the other club members. We'll keep a close eye on you, just... _anything_ to where you can stay here... I..."  
"What?" She fills the silence between my sentences.  
"I love you too much to lose you now, Sayori..."  
"I.. I love you too, Shin!" She bursts into tears, finally unable to control her sobs. "I'll.. stay.. then..."  
"Thank you... _thank you..._ " My grip on her tightens.  
"What.. what do we say to my parents?.. And the doctor?"  
"I can try to- no, I _will_ convince them to let you stay here. With us.  
"Let's... let's do this.. _together,_ Shin."  
Sayori holds out her hand; and I take it.  
I say one final word to Sayori before she takes out her phone.

"Together."


	10. Chapter 3, Part 1

CHAPTER 3, PART 1  
NEXT IN LINE

THREE DAYS LATER 

"I hope you can forgive me..." I hear a disembodied voice calling to me in an endless abyss of darkness.  
"Who?.. Forgive you for what?" I reply to the voice.  
"For this." I hear it fade into the darkness.  
" **GET AWAY FROM HER!** " I scream, then, I suddenly kick down the door that appears in front of me. I don't know what's going on, I don't know where I'm at, who I'm screaming at.  
"Shin, run! Just go get help! Please!" I hear Natsuki crying from the other side of the room. "I don't want you to get hurt!"  
"Playing the hero is only going to end badly for anyone these days." I hear this deep, raspy voice calling from behind me, but there's nobody there. "Heroes never truly exist in the world. And _you_ especially, will never get the 'happy ending' I know you're after! Just do everyone around you a favor and give up!"  
"I!... _I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER ANYMORE!_ " I scream at the voice, but I still can't see the figure. I run over to Natsuki and try to grab her, but something's wrong. She...

 **Why the hell does she not have a face anymore?!**

"J **ust run.** " A voice emanates from where Natsuki's mouth should be. " **You're only going to hurt everyone around you so much more than what you're trying to do to help.** **Just kill yourself, it would be so much easier. For** _ **everyone**_ **.** " I stumble, and try to crawl away from that... thing... masquerading as Natsuki.  
"Get away from me!" I continue crawling back, but it's following me. I reach the wall. "YOU'RE NOT NATSUKI! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!" The figure slowly gets closer to me.  
" **You're what happened.** " It stops dead in it's tracks, inches from my face.

It tilts it's head almost entirely sideways, with a loud, disturbing cracking sound that pierces my ears. I scream.

I wake up, kicking the wall next to my bed, and I reel in pain.  
"What the hell?!" I yell out.  
I suddenly realize what that dream was about.  
"So, she's next?.."


	11. Chapter 3, Part 2

**FOREWORD:  
THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH SUBJECTS THAT MAY UPSET SOME READERS. PLEASE CONTINUE WITH DISCRETION.**

Chapter 3, Part 2

PATERNAL AFFECTION

NATSUKI'S POINT OF VIEW

"I like when p-... No. He'd beat me for even _hinting_ at what he does..."  
Poems... Poems... What to do for a poem... Monika gave me this assignment yesterday, and I have no idea what to do. I'd ask Sayori for help, but she's still in the hospital... Maybe I should give her a call anyways, at least ask how she's doing.  
Yeah. I think that's what I'll do. I haven't seen or talked to her in almost three days. What's the harm? Oh right, Dad took away my phone when I disappeared for that sleepover... Oh to hell with it, my poetry is garbage anyways. There's no point wasting my time even trying...  
I get up from my desk and flop onto my bed, trying to hold back my tears.  
"I just... I want to die. I wish papa would just stop being papa..." I say as I hear a door slam in the living room.  
"WHERE ARE YOU? I TOLD YOU TO BE IN HERE WHEN I GOT BACK!" I hear him call. I immediately run to the living room to greet him.  
"Welcome h-home, papa." I say to him. I'm nowhere close to him, but I can tell he's been drinking by the way he smells. I hope he doesn't find anything wrong with what I've done...  
"Dishes are done... Bathroom's clean..." He goes around the house inspecting my work. "You've passed. Get in your room, I'll be there shortly to give you what you've earned for it."  
"Y-yes, papa." I do as he says and go to my room. I resist the urge to vomit. I know what's coming. I can't stop it. I might as well just... get it over with... Sometimes I wish mom hadn't walked out on us so she could take this part of dad's behavior, but... I don't want anyone else to deal with what he does to me.. it sickens me, but I don't have any choice. He comes back to my room, and opens the door without knocking, as is usual by now.  
"Get on the bed. Now." He says, undoing his belt.

But he's interrupted by a knock on the front door.

"God damnit... Who the hell could that even be?" I hear him mutter. "Don't think that means you're off the hook. Get on the bed, I'll be back." I get on the bed as he says, and at some point, I started crying. I don't know when, but I feel the tears hitting my legs. I can't hold it back anymore, and I throw up. At the same time, I accidentally wet myself. I immediately burst into tears at how disgusted I am with both myself, and papa. I don't get out of bed, out of fear of what he may do when he comes back and finds me out of place after telling me where to be. The anxiety and fear finally overcome me, and I pass out.


	12. Chapter 3, Part 3

CHAPTER 3, PART 3

THE GATHERING STORM

I'm making my way to the literature club, and I stop. There's... a crowd of students in the hallway, laughing. This isn't normal. I make my way through the crowd, and see something that makes me angry.

They're laughing at Natsuki.

I rush to the crying girl's side, and I kneel down. My knee gets wet, and suddenly I know why they're laughing.

But it only makes me more furious.

"Who the fuck thinks this is funny?" I immediately stand up, and face the crowd. " **WHO**?" I yell.  
Suddenly, the crowd falls silent.  
All except one student, who is only laughing harder at this point. I walk up to him.  
"You think this is funny?" I stare straight at him.  
"Yeah, I think it's pretty goddamn hilar-" I punch him straight in the face before he can finish his sentence. "Dude, what the hell is your problem?!"  
"People like _you_ are my problem." I return to Natsuki's side. "Alright EVERYONE GO BACK TO CLASS!"  
Probably afraid of suffering the same fate, the crowd begins to disperse.  
I help Natsuki onto her feet, and we make or way to the nurse's office. Eventually, the nurse discharges Natsuki from class, and we make our way to my place. For some reason, she doesn't call her dad about it.  
"So... do you wanna talk abo-"  
"No."  
She shoots me down before I even finish the question.  
"Okay, I understand."  
"Let's just get back to your place so I can take a shower. Keep it quiet, okay?" She says to me.  
"Okay.."  
After walking for about 5 and a half minutes, we finally reach my house.  
"Damnit!" She cries out.  
"What?!"  
"I... forgot to get a change of clothes..."  
"Don't worry, you can use some of mine until yours get cleaned."  
"I... guess... but you'd better not do anything weird with my clothes, or look at me in the shower, dummy! I'll kill you if you do!" She says, threatening me.  
"I hadn't planned on using your clothes as a masturbatory aid anyways." I jokingly say. She stares at me.  
"You.." She stares at me with a dirty look.  
"I was kidding!"  
"W-whatever, dummy!"


	13. Chapter 3, Part 4

CHAPTER 3, PART 4

THE MENACING CALM

I hear the squeak of the faucet turning, and then water running. I still don't know what happened, but I plan on finding out why she didn't go home to take a shower instead of coming over to my place to do it. After about seven minutes, Natsuki finally gets out of the shower, and gets dressed. She walks up to me, and looks straight up at me.  
"Why did you do it?" She asks.  
"Do...what, exactly?"  
"Oh don't play stupid, stupid! Why did you stand up for me during school!?" She demandingly asks.  
"Because you're my friend, and the way you were back there..." I briefly remember the scene of Natsuki, crying in a pool of her own pee. "..I couldn't stand to see a friend like that. So I did what I could."  
"W-well... Th-..." She gets choked up slightly. "Th-thank you..." She says, barely audible. "B-but don't think I'll thank you again if you do that! D-dummy!" She turns away, blushing.  
"I won't need the thanks. I do things like this for my closest friends." I say, and her blush gets redder.  
"I-!.."  
"You what?"  
" **DUMMY**!" She exclaims, then turns and walks off. 

NATSUKI'S POINT OF VIEW

After I storm out of his room, I walk back into the bathroom. I look in the mirror.  
"Why?" I realize I have tears running down my face. "Why would he say things he doesn't mean?"  
I know he's lying. Nobody ever does things like that for me for no reason, or calls me 'one of their closest friends.'  
Why would _he_ be any different?  
I hope my clothes get done soon, if I'm late getting home...  
No. I don't want to think about that right now. I just... I need to get my head cleared. I dry my eyes, and make my way out of the bathroom. I don't get far before my thoughts overwhelm me again, and I'm running back in to the toilet, and I throwing up.  
"What's wrong?!" He asks.  
"It's noth-" I vomit again.  
"Natsuki, _something_ is wrong, let me take you to the emerg-"  
"NO!" I scream at him. I can't go to the ER... they might find out about my secret... what he does to me if he does.. and I don't want anyone else to get dragged into my mess. I go to vomit again, but nothing comes out.  
"What _can_ I do for you then?" He keeps asking me what he can do.  
"Just... go away!" I tell him.  
He just stands in the doorway, staring at me in awe. 


	14. Chapter 3, Part 5

CHAPTER 3, PART 5

THE EDGE OF THE STORM

"What do you mean _go away_?" I ask her. "First of all, this is kinda my house. Second of all, I'm just worried about you, Natsuki."  
"Well don't be!" She screams at me.  
I sigh. "Look, it's getting dark out, and you're in no shape to walk out right now. Why don't you just spend the night over here?"  
"Spend the night? With _you_?" She goes to throw up again. If the situation wasn't so urgent, I would make a joke.  
"I'm only suggesting it, you don't have to."  
"N-no.. I suppose y-you're right..."  
"You can have my bed, I can sleep on the couch downstairs."  
"No, you can keep your bed. I'll sleep on the couch. I'm impeding on your home as it is..." She says, looking down at the floor.  
"I insis-"  
"I said no." She interrupts me, looking back up at me. I suppose _she_ insists...  
"Alright, fine. I was just trying to be polite."  
"I appreciate it, but you're already offering me more hospitality than I deserve.."  
Why is she so insistent that she's not worth being a friend to?  
"Alright, well, it's getting late and we have school tomorrow. We should probably get to bed." I say.  
We say our good-nights, I slip into bed, and doze off to sleep.

I open my eyes, but I can't see anything.  
"So, you're back... What is it this time?" I speak into the darkness.  
There's no reply.  
"Come on, I know you're there, what is it?" I ask again.  
Still no reply.  
Then, the lights turn on, and Natsuki is standing in the doorway. She's staring at me, tears dripping down her face.  
"I-I'm.. s-sorry..." She says between her sobs. I wonder what she's apologizing for. Then I realize.

She wet herself again.

"Natsuki..." I removes the covers from myself, and walks towards Natsuki.  
"I-I'm s-s-sorry..." She starts uncontrollably crying. "P-please.. make h-him stop..."  
Those are the last words out of her mouth before she collapses onto the floor.


	15. Chapter 3, Part 6

CHAPTER 3, PART 6

STORMFRONT

I wake up, and I feel myself moving on... some kind of...  
No.  
 **No.  
** He did it.  
"What?..."  
The white hospital lights blind me as I open my eyes.  
"So, you're finally awake?" I hear a voice ask me.  
"Where?..."  
"You're in the hospital. You collapsed on the floor in my house, and that was the last straw."  
"The last-?.."  
"The doctors also found... a lot of bruises on you. They think _I_ did that to you..."  
"Why did you have to do it?..." I say with tears welling in my eyes.  
Now he'll know about it, and everyone will be disgusted with me for doing the things I do... He'll hate me, and I'll get punished for letting it out...  
"No, I'm not supposed-" I try to get up, but I'm stopped before I can even sit up straight.  
"You're not going anywhere, Natsuki. You're staying here until we find out what's been going on."  
"NO!" I scream, and the gurney stops. "I don't... I don't want... to be here!" I can't control my sobbing.  
"Natsuki, calm down. Okay, we'll leave as soon as you explain the bruises to the police."  
"I-..." I look at Shin through the tears. "I can't! I can't, I can't I can't I can't!" I exclaim out.  
"Why not?..."  
"I just... can't do it... okay!?"  
"We understand, ma'am." The two policemen turn to face Shin. "You're going to have to come with us for some questioning."  
"I.. understand.." 

I'm a goddamn coward.  
I didn't want anyone to get mixed up in my problems, yet here we are. Shin's been taken into police custody for something he didn't do, and I didn't have the courage to speak up and make things right. I glance around, and I see a familiar figure and voice.  
"I'll be taking her home as soon as possible." He says.  
"Sir, we can't let you do that. We're investigating a possible abuse case, and we'll need to keep an eye on her."  
"That won't be necessary. You took the suspect into custody, am I wrong?"  
"We did, but we're still questioning him. You can take her home as soon as the suspect has been proven guilty and..." The voices fade.  
Oh. I'm falling unconscious again.

I wake up. I'm not in the hospital anymore, I'm in my own bed. I guess he convinced them to discharge me...  
"I should beat you for pulling a stunt like that. Thankfully, that kid took the fall for me. So I'm in a good mood, I'll let it slide. Of course, I'm still going to punish you for it." He says, beginning to undo his belt. I can't move, the anesthesia's still affecting my body.

I'm completely defenseless.

" **OPEN THE DOOR**! **POLICE**!" I hear a scream echo through the house.  
"Shit! Why the hell are they here?!" My dad exclaims.  
"It's over, Takeshi! We know what you've been doing to Natsuki!" I hear...  
Shin.. He came back?... 


	16. Chapter 3, Part 7 -CHAPTER FINALE-

CHAPTER 3, PART 7

AFTERSHOCK

"What are you talking about?!" Takeshi screams.  
"Don't play stupid, we know you've been abusing her! Come out now!" I yell back.  
"I don't abuse my precious little girl! We both know you're just trying to pin this on me!"  
"Open the door or we're breaking it down!" The officer next to me yells.  
"Fine, I'm coming!" He says, then begins fiddling with the door locks. "Now what-" The police officers handcuff him, and take him out to the cruiser. We search the house for Natsuki, and find her crying in her room. I rush over to comfort her.  
"It's okay now, we're here. He's not going to hurt you anymore." I say to Natsuki  
"No... it's not okay..." She says. "I... just... bring him back!"  
"What?..."  
"I said bring him back! I want my papa back!" She screams, with tears in her eyes.  
"But-?.."  
"I just want my papa back! I want my mama back!... I want my old family back..." She clings to me in a hug. "I.. I just want things to go back to how they were..."  
The realization hits me, and I hug Natsuki back.  
"I really wish they could go back that way too... but I'm here for you now. I'm not going to let you get hurt like that again."  
She bursts into uncontrollable sobs.  
"I just want... all the pain... to stop!"  
"I'll be here for you until it does stop."  
I gently caress her, trying to calm her down. I keep Natsuki in a hug for about two minutes before she finally stops crying. She takes a deep breath.  
"They're.. going to need me to stand against him... in court... won't they?..." She asks.  
"I'm afraid so..."  
"When?.." She asks.  
"We'll have to decide that soon, but for now, why don't you come stay at my place?" I ask her.  
"That sounds... nice.." She hugs me again. "Thank you, Shin... for everything.."  
I stand up, and offer out my hand. She stares at it, then me.  
"Come on, let's go home." I say.  
"Home?..."  
She takes my hand gently.

"Home."


End file.
